(JACKSON, Tenn., Nov. 26)—The McKendree University men's basketball team dropped an 87-75 decision Friday at the hands of host Union University in the Union Thanksgiving Classic in Jackson, Tenn.
The Bearcats, ranked No. 8 in the NAIA Division I men's basketball pre-season poll, dropped to 3-6 on the year, while Union, rated No. 10 in the same poll, improved to 4-3 overall. McKendree will complete its stay in Jackson on Saturday by taking on Freed-Hardeman University at 2 p.m.
Junior forward Sean Rakers (New Baden, IL/Wesclin) (New Baden, Ill./Wesclin) led all scorers with 28 points and three blocked shots to pace McKendree. Rakers also pulled down a team-high nine rebounds in the contest. Senior guard Andy Wolff (Centralia, Ill./Metro-East Lutheran) (Centralia, Ill./Metro-East Lutheran) was the only other Bearcat player to reach double-digits in the scoring column with 12 points. Freshman guard Clinton Happe (Evansville, IN/F.J. Reitz) (Evansville, Ind./F.J. Reitz) came off the bench to post nine points. Junior guard Karrington Pettiford (Florissant, MO/Christian Brothers) (Florissant, Mo./Christian Brothers), in his first game action of the season after missing the first eight contests with a foot injury, registered seven points for McKendree.
In the first half, McKendree held an early lead before Union ripped off seven straight points to take an 18-12 lead midway through the period. The Bearcats scored the next two baskets before the Bulldogs went on a 10-0 run to grab a 28-16 advantage. Union eventually stretched the margin to 15 points before taking a 38-25 lead at the intermission.
Both teams shot well from the floor in the second half, with Union hitting 58.3 percent of its attempts from the field, and McKendree close behind at a 53.1 percent clip. The Bulldogs slowly increased their lead to as many as 22 points in maintaining a double-digit lead.
Five different players scored in double figures for Union in a balanced attack. Antoine Hall, Antoine Joseph and Shane Burrell each scored 13 points to share team-high honors, while Skyler Vaden and Roland Banhoro each connected for 10 points in the win. Burrell grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs.
